Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to dynamic directional synchronization signals in wireless communications.
Description of Related Art
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time-division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.
By way of example, a wireless multiple-access communication system may include a number of base stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, otherwise known as user equipment (UEs). A base station may communicate with UEs on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a base station to a UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE to a base station). UEs may locate a base station by detecting synchronization signal(s), from which the UEs acquire the base station identification code (cell ID), system timing information, frame alignment information, etc. In systems where the receiver is highly signal strength and noise limited (e.g., millimeter wave systems), beamformed synchronization signals may be swept across the cell coverage area to provide coverage enhancement to improve detection.
A wireless communication system that employs a dual-signal synchronization scheme may include a high power narrowband signal and a low power wideband signal. However, aspects may make detection of the narrowband signal more or less reliable than detection of the wideband signal. For example, the higher power narrowband signal may propagate farther than the lower power wideband signal. Other factors that may affect detection may include the geographic coverage area of the millimeter wave cell, the density of UEs and/or base stations within the cell, UE configurations, interference, etc. Therefore, a fixed narrowband/wideband signal configuration may not be ideal in every situation.